CROWNSVILLE, Md. — In life, husband and wife Oren and Bill went above and beyond to bring star trek to earth, Whether it was designing their basement to look like the interior of the starship "Enterprise," or meeting as many members of the cast and crew as they could, or even renewing their wedding vows on a replica of Enterprise with a Klingon as a witness.
Now, the couple's fandom is extending beyond earth's atmosphere.
"When he died, I thought, I want to fulfill his wish of going to space," said Oren Whyche-Shaw.
Lieutenant Colonel Bill Shaw always wanted to be an astronaut. He went to the Air Force Academy, but at the time, NASA didn't allow people who needed glasses or contacts to pursue training.
But his love for space never faded, and he found an outlet for his passion in adventures with his fellow "Trekkie" wife.
When he passed away unexpectedly from an illness in 2017, she decided his passion needed to live on.
"We're looking at the orbit of my husband in the first flight - the Heritage flight - and that little satellite is where he is - so I can track him any time day or night," Oren explained as she showed us the tracker on her TV.
His remains are currently orbiting around the Earth thanks to a company called "Celestis." The company has been offering memorial spaceflights since the 90s.
"To me it's just a very natural service for people that are interested in space or science fiction. It's equivalent to scattering ashes at sea, except it's a lot harder. A lot harder," said Celestis co-founder Charles Chafer.
Eventually, the satellite carrying his ashes will burn out.
"The laws of physics take over, and the spacecraft, including our passengers, burns up in the atmosphere upon reentry in its entirety, making it sort of an 'ashes to ashes' experience."
But the ever-inventive Oren found a way to make her husband a part of the universe for eternity. She learned Celestis was starting to offer "forever" missions, sending satellites into deep space, where they'll orbit endlessly.
"And I thought, okay I did the first launch for Bill. But this one, this could be for us."
So Oren's going with him, where "no one has gone before" - at least, a piece of her DNA is.
Although the couple is no longer together Earth-side; in space, they'll literally be together forever.
"So he wouldn't be able to get rid of me - ha!" she joked.
It gets better. They'll be joined by the remains of five members of the Star Trek: Enterprise cast and crew, including the creator Gene Rodenberry, Nichelle Nichols, DeForest Kelley, and James “Scotty” Doohan.
The rocket, built by the United Launche Alliance, is scheduled to launch on January 8 from Cape Canaveral. It's aptly named the Vulcan rocket, and the mission is called the Enterprise Flight. This will be the first time the company is sending remains into deep space.